KARSTEN] BLOOD REVENGE, WAR, AND VK^TORY FEASTS 25 



and of another small square cloth, called awangeatna^ which covers 

 the shoulders, with a hole in the middle to pass the head through. 

 The long hair, which is carefully washed and attended every day, is 

 divided into tliree pigtails, a large one at the neck and two small ones 

 at the temples. In the ears the Jibaro always carries ear tubes 

 (arusa) 20 to 30 centimeters long, the ends of which are frequently 

 ornamented Avith incised figures. 



When the Jibaro warrior prepares for an attack against an enemy 

 he puts on his head a sort of cap made of monkey's skin, which he pre- 

 fers to the ordinary head ornament made of parrot or toucan feath- 

 ers {tawasa). The ear tubes ought to be as large as possible so that 

 their ends nearly reach the shoulders. Around the neck the warrior 

 wears a necklace of jaguar's teeth and around the waist the usual 

 cincture of human hair (akdchu). Old warriors, however, for an at- 

 tack prefer to cincture themselves with a broad belt of skin of the 

 great boa. The uncovered part of the body, the face, the breast, the 

 back, the arms, and legs, are finally painted black with genipa (sua). 



The hair is, as always, divided into the three pigtails mentioned, the 

 latter being tied around with broad bands adorned with toucan feath- 

 ers and human hair, or Avith cotton strings which are dyed red with 

 achiote. The Jibaros on the Pastaza and the Canelos Indians, for a 

 battle, are in the habit of tying around the pigtails or the hair broad 

 hasten strips obtained from a plant which the former call cMpyata^ 

 the latter chUipanga. These hasten strips, which are of bright col- 

 ors, are partly used jfs signs by which the Avarriors, in the darkness 

 and in the heat of battle, are able to distinguish friends from foes, and 

 are also Avorn because of some mysterious poAver ascribed to them or 

 to the plant from Avhich they are taken. 



With regard to the arrangement of the dress for Avar there are 

 three objects which are kept in view. Partly, the Indian tries to make 

 his Avhole appearance as terrifying as possible in order to impress the 

 enemies; partly, certain pieces of clothing and ornaments which he 

 puts on are, oAving to some mysterious inherent properties, supposed 

 to give him strength and courage; lastly, some of them will serve as 

 marks of recognition, by which the warriors Avill be able to distin- 

 guish friends from enemies in the battle. The black body painting, 

 for instance, serves all these three aims. It, more than anything else, 

 contributes to giving the Indian warrior a savage and terrible ap- 

 pearance. The Jibaros say that for a combat they paint themseh^es 

 black in order to resemble the igtianchi (demons), which implies that 

 the body painting is belieA'ed to impart to them something of the sav- 

 age ferocit}^ and strength of these supernatural beings. Besides, even 

 in semidarkness it is possible to distinguish the black-painted Indian 

 from one Avho does not wear that mark of recognition. The hasten 

 strips tied around the pigtails likeAvise, as already indicated, partly 

 2119°— 23 3 



